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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23137636">Disorders in Order</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesbijane/pseuds/lesbijane'>lesbijane</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Lumberjanes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>ADHD April, ADHD Diane, Gen, If canon won't give me neurodivergent characters then I'll write them myself</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 08:40:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,011</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23137636</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesbijane/pseuds/lesbijane</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Diane doesn't understand April.<br/>April likes all that Lumberjanes stuff - badge earning, fighting monsters, anything huge, exciting, and full of energy.<br/>Diane just stares off into space.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Disorders in Order</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Wrote this all in one sitting mostly for myself, but decided to share it just in case other people would like it, too. I really wish we had some neurodivergent rep in Lumberjanes, and I really feel like Diane's grudge against April isn't as shallow as it seems.</p><p>(Just in case it isn't clear, I think of April as having combined-type ADHD, and Diane as having inattentive ADHD.)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Diane was pretty sure, on a scale of one to one hundred, it was a solid 3% chance that she’d run into April in front of the camp library.</p><p>First of all, she only walked to the library when she needed a solid distraction free nap. As someone who prided herself on being able to fall asleep anywhere, including but not limited to a moving canoe, Hes’ shoulder, the mess hall table, and up in a tree once, this usually wasn’t a problem unless she already was having a pretty bad day.</p><p>Second, as far as she knew, April wasn’t an avid reader. Sure, she never shut up about that mermaid series she loved, but there wasn’t a new one being released until once summer was over, and she was too busy with other, more supernatural activities.</p><p>Despite all this, today was already a semi-horrible day for Diane so far. And when April walked out the door to the library, bumping into her, she could practically feel her bad mood just barely spike to a you’ve-angered-the-gods level.</p><p>“Sorry! Didn’t see you there!” Ever since they’d made their peace pact, Diane noticed that April had tried to make her tone nicer around her. Which, ironically, just made her feel worse. “Didn’t know you liked to hang around here.”</p><p>At this point, she knew it was best to avoid a conversation with April completely. She didn’t have the energy to deal with this, so she’d stick to the script. Sarcastic remark, shove past, disaster averted.</p><p>She pushed April aside with her elbow. “Didn’t know <em>you</em> could read.”</p><p>Diane didn’t really understand April.</p><p>April jumped up to earn badges. <em>Willingly</em>. In fact, Diane would bet her own bow that if she counted them up, April would have triple, if not more, badges than she did.</p><p>Badge earning sucked.</p><p>Whenever Diane sat down to do a badge, her focus on it would just slip away. Counselors would have to snap her back to attention whenever she started staring off into the forest, at a deer she saw slip by, or a bird, or even just the branches waving in the wind.</p><p>During the first week of camp, when she asked the counselor who was teaching rock-climbing safety to repeat what she’d said for the third time in a row, she only got a tired sigh in return. Now, whenever she saw that counselor, she got a sick feeling in her gut.</p><p>She doesn’t go near the rock-climbing wall anymore.</p><p>Now, when she zoned out, she promised she wouldn’t ask questions. It was easier to just mess up the badge because she didn’t remember the steps. It was easier to kick her legs up on a picnic table and stare at the clouds instead of even trying.</p><p>April, on the other hand, would laser-focus on whatever underwater basket weaving she was up to, and have the badge in her hands while Diane was busy tearing apart a leaf she picked up off the ground.</p><p>“Maybe you’ve got ADHD,” Mackenzie said one day over lunch. She only remembered this because ‘Kenzie had two entire spoonfuls of mashed potatoes in her mouth.</p><p>At the time, Diane just shrugged it off. It was ridiculous, anyways. April was the one who bounced her leg up and down constantly, the one who blurted out answers without raising her hand, the one the camp nurses handed a pill to take every breakfast. Hell, Diane could swear she’d heard April shout excitedly to the rest of her cabin when she’d spotted a squirrel once. It almost made Diane mad, seeing her be a walking stereotype.</p><p>She didn’t know exactly why it made her mad. Maybe because April was too happy about it. Or she was too loud about it. Or both. Diane knew that if she was anything other than “just depressed sometimes,” it’d only bring up a mess of questions from the rest of her family. It’d just be another conversation she’d have to rehearse.</p><p>
  <em>Can gods even have this?</em>
</p><p>Well, gods are supposed to be perfect. But a disorder doesn’t make someone imperfect, right? It’s just the way this world is set up.</p><p>
  <em>But if the world’s set up this way, wouldn’t the gods match that?</em>
</p><p>Hell if I knew.</p><p>
  <em>What about Apollo?</em>
</p><p>Who cares about Apollo.</p><p>
  <em>Maybe you’re just not applying yourself.</em>
</p><p>Maybe.</p><p>
  <em>You never needed help about this before.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But you’re so smart!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Wouldn’t that just be depression?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Isn’t that just a thing mortals made up?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Even if you are, you can’t just blame everything on this.</em>
</p><p>“Can I help you?”</p><p>Diane snapped back into focus. She was in the library. She was staring at the chipper cat poster which was reminding her to “hang in there!” for who knew how long. A camper was talking to her, a volunteer, probably earning some community service badge.</p><p>“Uh, yeah.” Diane tried her best to act casual and disengaged, which mostly involved crossing her arms. “I’m earning some kinda badge. Hoping to read some books on it.”</p><p>“Great!” The other scout clapped her hands together, which made Diane pretty sure that she was always acted like a school teacher, even when talking to regular people, “Which badge is it? I love matching books up to topics!”</p><p>“It’s… lemme think for a second.” Diane waved one of her hands, “It’s real new, you probably haven’t heard of it. It’s the… y’know. <em>Disorders in Order</em>? All about brain stuff and junk.”</p><p>“Huh, you’re right, I haven’t heard of that one!” With a glance around the library, the scout pointed out a section, “That shelf’s all about neurodiversity. If you’re looking for mental illness, it’s the one right next to there.”</p><p>“Cool. Thanks.” Diane nodded once, before turning to walk over.</p><p>“Good luck with that badge!” She could hear called out to her, teacher voice and all.</p><p>She only gave a peace sign in response, but for the first time that day, she felt happy.</p><p>Even though she just made it up on the spot, she knew she was going to earn this badge.</p>
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